


The Good Things In Life

by nyclover200



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Multi, because why not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:22:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26832112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyclover200/pseuds/nyclover200
Summary: After the summer of 1985, Hawkin's becomes even quieter before. Houses are left abandoned, roads left quiet and bare. After the Byers' left the party stuck close to each other, knowing there were all they had left.Three years later and the party is now entering senior year. Happy and excited to see where the year takes them they enter it with hopefulness. If only that happiness could stay around all the time.What happens when a missing member magically reappears in the middle of the dark milky night?Guess you'll have to read on to figure out.
Relationships: Dustin Henderson/Original Female Character(s), Eleven | Jane Hopper/Original Male Character(s), Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Robin Buckley/Original Female Character(s), Steve Harrington/Original Male Character(s)/ Original Female Character(s), Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy everybody, 
> 
> Welcome to the disaster fuck I'm writing because I can't sleep. I would like to remind you this is my first fanfiction so please be kind if you are going to leave a comment. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy my take on the future. 
> 
> Best wishes,   
> The writer

“Can you at least buy a good movie?” Dustin asks from behind the counter at Family Discount. Max laughs from her place on the counter, taking a drink from the soda in her hand. Mike scan through the movies looking for something he knew Dustin would hate because annoying him is fun. Mike searches until he finally finds the perfect movie. He picks up Jaws: The Revenge and walks over to Dustin who picks up the movie and is about to chuck it at Mike’s face when there is a ring at the door.

Mike turn around to see two girls standing there with confused faces. The taller of the two is about to speak but the younger one beats her too it.   
“Sorry if we’re interrupting something, we were wondering if you had St. Elmo’s Fire?” The younger voice is soft and full of life. She had curly brown hair and a heart-shaped face. Her indigo shorts are rolled up to her upper thigh and her cream shirt oversized. A purse laid across her body, woven flowers adorning the front. When she realized no one’s going to answer her she walks closer to the front desk and gently waves a hand into the front of Dustin’s face.

“Are you okay sir?” 

This snaps Dustin out of his haze and he nods silently. Mike looked over at the girl’s friend, a young Korean girl, with straight black hair and a round face, while the other was asking Dustin where the movie was. Mike smiles at her to which she smiles back and starts walking towards him. 

“Hi, I’m TJ by the way and the girl who is so rudely messing with your friend is my sister Sophia, she tends to forget that some people have boundaries that we should be respectful of.” She puts her hand out in front of me. I grab it and shake it firmly. 

“I’m Mike,” he says while letting go before asking, “and sisters?”. 

TJ laughs happily and nods. 

“Yeah, I was adopted before she was born but it makes us siblings nonetheless,” TJ explains looking at Sophia who is now following Dustin towards the John Huges movies, “but it’s nice to meet you, Mike.” 

The two stand in front of each other silently, thinking of something to say. 

“So what brought you guys to Hawkins?”

“Oh, some of our family lives here.” 

“Really, who?”

“S-” TJ is stopped when Sophia comes up behind her and gives her the movie. 

“St. Elmo’s Fire,” she smiles at her sister, eyes sparkling like rushing water. TJ laughs and walks over to the front desk, placing it in front of Dustin, who rings them up. Sophia hands money to Dustin and smiles sweetly at him. Dustin looks down, blush rushing into his cheeks. Mike laughs at him because he clearly likes Sophia. Dustin hands the movie back and the girls thank Dustin and TJ smiles at me before heading towards the door. Before leaving Sophia turns to Dustin and thanks him before letting the door close behind her and running off with her sister. Mike turns to Dustin who’s eyes are blown out wide, chin in hand. Lucas and Max are looking at Dustin with large smiles. Lucas walks up to Dustin and pushes the hand out from under his hand which lets Dustin’s face slam into the marble slab below him. His head shoots up and he holds his nose, frown prevalent on his face.

“Really man, really?” Dustin asks head in the air, pinching his nose. We all laugh at him, Max even curling around herself.

“I’m sorry man, it just had to happen,” Lucas says through snorted laughs. 

“You suck.” Dustin shoots out.

“And you swallow.” Lucas retorts smiling giddily. Dustin just rolls his eyes and pisses off to the back to grab some ice. Once Dustin was out of the room the three other teens turn to each other and burst into laughter. Dustin comes back with an icepack on his nose, frown still on his face. 

“You guys are the actually worse, you know that?”

All three of us nod, still laughing at the poor curly-haired man. After the three calm down, Mike turns to Dustin who dropped the icepack on the desk, his nose red from the cold. 

“You know you could go ask her on a date?” Mike asks, pushing his black curly hair back. Dustin thinks for a moment before making a run for it out the door.

“Does he notice he’s the one working at the moment?” Max asks, leaning her chin onto Lucas’ shoulder. Lucas turns in between Max’s legs and grabs some lollipops, shoving them into his jacket pockets. Both Max and Mike look at him with blank faces.

“What? What he’s doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”

The two teens shrug, turning back to the door to wait for Dustin who walks in mopily a few seconds later. 

“What happened stud?” Max asks. 

“She’s in love with Steve.”

“What?!” All three of them scream, confused. 

“Yeah, I was about to run up to her when I see her hugging Steve looking all happy and lovey-dovey. It sucks.” 

The three of us look at the boy like he is crazy. Steve was now 22 and it looked like Sophia couldn’t be more than 17 years old. 

“Dustin, that seems unrealistic because Steve is 22 and the girl looked like she’s our age,” Lucas says. Dustin nods and walks behind the desk, letting his head rest on the cool marble.

“Dustin there are other fish in the sea,” Max says reaching her hand over to scratch the boy’s curls.

“Yeah Dustin, one girl is bound to fall for your craziness,” Mike says leaning over the desk and patting his head. Dustin looks up at us with cold eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

Lucas is about to say something when the bell rings again, alerting us of a new presence. Before Mike can even turn around a hand is on my shoulder and the King of Hawkins, Steve Harrington, is standing right next to me, a bright smile on his face, Robin on his other side.

“How are the rugrats of Hawkins?” Steve asks looking at the four of us. He looked a lot happier since moving away to the University of Illinois, less stressed. He was studying psychology, planning on becoming a guidance counselor after he graduates. Robin, who went with him, looked happier as well and it seems like she likes studying music history and language.

Dustin looks up at him with pure anger in his eyes.

“You suck Harrington.”

“What?” 

“It’s nothin, he’s just lonely,” Max says with a big smile. Steve just shrugs and both of them go around to hug the rest of us. 

“So when are you guys leaving?”Max asks the teens looking towards the two adults. 

Steve’s face turns into a frown. 

“Tomorrow morning.” 

The four teens nod sadly, Mike knowing they would all miss their favorite adults.

“We’ll be back before you guys know it, and by then Mike will have grown five more inches,” Robin says snarkily, sending a cheeky wink in Mike’s direction. They all laugh because of how true the statement was. Mike had grown a bunch in the past year, going from a mere five-eight to a domineering 6’3. His mom was upset because her baby was growing up while his dad was mad her had to buy more clothes for the constantly growing boy. Mike was just happy he was tall enough to hold stuff over Dustin’s head.


	2. I'm Proud Of You Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike thinks back on the last few years. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter
> 
> Best wishes,  
> The writer :)

Mike woke up the next morning at 5:36 am. He really hated waking up this early just to go get an education by people who truly didn’t care where he was going to end up in the future. He got out bed anyways and looks in the mirror that hung just above his dresser. His curls weren’t too bad today so there was really no need for brushing that morning. He went through his dresser and grabbed a pair of baggy black jeans that he rolled up at the end and a black leather belt to hold up the fabric. He grabs a white shirt from his closet and tosses it on, adding a blue jean jacket on top to prevent the cold from killing him. He grabbed a pair of white socks and topped the outfit with a pair of Nike sneakers. 

He opened his door and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he was done he crossed the hall to knock on Holly’s door. It took a couple of seconds for the eight-year-old girl to open the door. She greeted her brother happily, pulling at the strap of her purple overalls. 

“You ready for breakfast pipsqueak?” 

Holly nodded quickly before running past her brother and toddles down the stairs. Mike walks down the stairs and goes into the kitchen, the smell of pancakes wafting through the air. His mother sets a plate of pancakes in the middle of the dining table when Mike sits down. She offers Mike a loving smile and places her hand on the side of his cheek.

“God, you are so grown up. Just yesterday you had all this baby fat and now you’re a grown man.”

Mike laughs and pulls away. 

“Jeez mom, your gonna make feel bad about growing up.”

“You should feel bad, you’re making me feel 50.” 

At that point, Ted walks in from the upstairs and approaches Karen, placing a kiss on her cheek before opening his mouth. 

“But you barely look a day over 20.”

Karen blushes at Ted’s nice words and both kids fake hurl. It was nice to see how good his parents treated each other. He’s seen some terrible marriages and he was happy to see how well his parents treated each other.

Breakfast is how it usually is and Mike looks at the clock to see that it’s 6:45. He takes both Holly and his plates and sets them in the sink before grabbing his bag and keys, Holly doing the same. They wave their parents goodbye before stepping out of the door and walking towards Mike’s white AMC. Both Wheeler’s get into the vehicle, a comfortable silence surrounding them. Mike turns on the motor and the car sparks to life, engine loud and radio sparking the voice of Elvis. Mike pulls out of the driveway and onto the abandoned road. 

A lot of people left Hawkin’s after everything came out about the horrible things that went on without their knowledge. It left many houses vacant and streets quiet. Mike enjoyed this fact because it meant he could get to school faster without having to wake up as early, his friends could race each other in the dark of night while the glimmering stars watched overhead.

After Hopper disappeared and everything came out about the corruption that went on throughout the mayor’s office the town went through a huge investigation and many officers and big businessmen in town were thrown in jail which lead to better people being put into office, one’s people actually trust, not just one’s who were offering them empty promises.

Whenever Mike thought about Hopper he thought about Joyce, Jonathan, Will, and El. The four had moved to Atlanta after everything calmed down and Joyce was no longer under investigation by the US government who thought she was a Russian spy.

Johnathan would come down every so often with Nancy because they were still dating. Actually engaged. Jonathan had popped the question while at a family dinner with the Wheeler’s last summer. They were all just eating breakfast when it came out fast and loud. Everyone got really silent and Nancy turned to him surprised. Mike laughed a bit. After a few moments of anticipation, she said yes and they all cheered. It had been a really good day. The two had set a day in the spring in 1990, per Nancy’s request. She wanted to finish out college and have a steady job before worrying about her wedding and Johnathan willingly agreed, wanting to do the same.

Mike’s mind drifted to Will. The last time Mike had seen the brunette was the summer prior to the school year starting. Will had grown a bit over the summer, getting tallet than Dustin but not taller than Mike and Lucas. He had gotten rid of the hideous bowl cut and went for something more age-appropriate, an up-cut of some sort. He smiled more than he did when he lived in Hawkins. Laughed louder, enough for his normally white cheeks to glow pink.

Will had come out to party separately over the summer. He left Mike for last. They were just sitting near the lake when he blurted out the statement “I’m gay.”  
Nothing followed for a few moments, not until Mike turned to his best friend and told him he was proud of him and enveloped the smaller teen in a hug. Mike could practically feel the tension leaving Will’s body after he had done this.

The two sat in a calm silence until Will had to head back to the hotel room they had rented for the summer. Joyce’s new job paid well, which meant that the Byers could come more often than not, staying in a hotel not too far from the outskirts of the Hawkins.

Mike watched as Will walked away from where they had sat, getting on the bike and peddling off into the setting sun. Mike had stayed at the lake thirty minutes after Will’s departure just enjoying the silence.

That was the one thing that really changed out Mike after the Battle of Starcourt. The teen who had once craved sound now basked in the silence in the swiftly moving air. No loud goopy monster lurking in the corners waiting for a good moment to pounce, no Russian army man waiting for the right moment to shoot Mike in the forehead.

Just calm, open-ended silence. 

Mike’s mind finally drifts to the last Byer. El, who commonly went by Jane now, had grown into herself since 1985. She was louder, joining the choir and acting troop a year after leaving Hawkins. She excelled in reading and science, with slight problems in math but nothing that couldn’t be taught with a little extra help. She also liked gym class more than the average student. She enjoyed being outside and running around the track till she couldn’t feel her legs anymore excited her. It was probably her mind finally realizing it was free, no longer stuck in a small room for 20 hours a day.

Her smile was always something that gave Mike butterflies. But not in a loving way. The two had broken it off two summers ago. It was just too hard for them to be so far apart and try to keep up a functioning relationship. Mike was slightly thankful for the mutual break, overthinking himself into a frenzy of cleaning and pulling his hair out.

They had gone a date to an ice cream shop and were sitting silently at a booth when they both just looked at each other and they knew what the other was going say. They talked about their feelings and decided that breaking it off would be the best decision for both of them. After that all the weight that had been pushing on Mike’s shoulder lifted, making him feel weightless for the first time in a long time.

Mike stopped his car in front of the elementary school and wished Holly a good day while she left. He waved as she walked towards her friends, giving her a big smile as she blew him a kiss. He caught it before pulling out of the driveway and back onto the road towards the high school.


	3. Four More Harrington's?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike gets to know the new additions to Hawkin's small population. 
> 
> They just so happen to be related to the one and only ex-King of Hawkin's High. 
> 
> Enjoy and best wishes,  
> The writer :)

Once he pulled into the parking lot of Hawkin’s High Mike looked around for his friends. They had promised to meet outside the school every morning, just to make sure each of them got to school safely. Mike spotted Max’s bright red hair from a mile away and parked the AMC before getting out and walking towards the party. Dustin caught his eye immediately, flashing his pearly white teeth and waving him over.

“Well, you seem to be overly excited this morning,” Mike says in earnest. Dustin laughs brightly and nods. 

“How could I be mad when I’m surrounded by my closest friends?” Dustin asks, Max pushing his face to the side.

“You’re a cheesy little shit you know that?”

Dustin nods happily when something catches his eye making his smile sour. Mike turns to see Sophia walking towards the group with a big smile on her pale face. She wasn’t walking alone though.

Next to her stood a rather stringy boy with the same curly brown hair adorning his head, the same heart-shaped face smiling maybe even a little wider than Sophia’s. 

“Hey, I remember you guys, you,” she points to Dustin, “showed me where St. Elmo’s Fire was. Dustin, right?” She questions. Dustin’s face hadn’t moved since he saw Sophia, but she clearly wasn’t going to take silence as an answer. 

“Okay then, I don’t think I got the rest of your names and I don’t think you got mine, so my name is Sophia Harrington and this is my twin brother Sebastian, and you are?” She asks Mike with an outstretched hand. 

Once Harrington leaves her lips the whole party erupts into gasps.

“Harrington?” Dustin asks, finally opening his mouth. Sophia buts her hand down by her side before answering.

“Yeah, like Steve Harrington, he’s our cousin, do you guys know him?”

“Know him, were practically the man’s kids,” Lucas says from behind Mike. Something seems to click in Sophia’s mind.

“Holy shit, you guys are the party that he always talks about!” Her eyes light up excitedly. Mike nods along with the party before giving more information. But before he can even open is mouth Dustin’s fast speaking breaks the silence, happier than before.

“Yeah, we are the party, my name is Dustin, and this right here is Mike, Lucas, and Max, welcome the Hawkin’s high would you like a tour of our lovely campus?” He lends an outstretched hand to Sophia who happily takes it. 

Sophia’s smile gets wider than Mike thought it actually could go, but he shakes it off and watches as the two enter the large metal doors. Mike looks back to Sebastian, surprised he didn’t follow.

“Don’t you want a tour of the school?” Mike asks. Sebastian looks up from the ground and shakes his head. 

“My sister and I actually toured the middle school and high school while TJ and Sophia toured the town.”

“Wait you guys have another sister?” Max says from her spot on the steps. Sebastian nods before giving an explanation.

“Yeah, there’s four of us,” Sebastian says proudly. The three other teens’ eyes widen. 

“There’s four other Harrington’s?” Lucas says loudly. Sebastian laughs and nods.

“Six actually if you include my parents. There TJ who is the twenty, Sophia and I who are seventeen, and Maggie who’s fourteen.” 

“No way, my sister’s fourteen too,” Lucas says surprised. 

“No shit, guess we already have something in common, don’t tell you also play football too.” 

Mike and Max laugh at the thought of Lucas playing football let alone a sport in general. Lucas gives them both a solid death stare before returning his gaze to Sebastian.  
“I don’t really do sports, I’m more of a science guy.”

Sebastian nods understanding. Just as Mike’s about to speak the bell rings loudly, signaling for the school to begin.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you guys around,” Sebastian says before making his way up the steps and into the cool building. 

Well, this is going to be an interesting twist to the school year, Mike thought to himself. 

If only Mike knew how twisted his life would become in the following months.


End file.
